NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will be without wide receiver Kendall Wright for a couple of weeks as his hamstring injury lingers. ADVERTISING NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will be without wide receiver Kendall Wright for a couple
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will be without wide receiver Kendall Wright for a couple of weeks as his hamstring injury lingers.
While that’s bad news for Wright, it opens chances for players on the roster bubble to get extra work at the inside receiver spot until he returns.
Wright, the Titans’ first-round pick in 2012, tweaked his hamstring Aug. 3 and hasn’t participated in practice since. With Wright out, veteran Harry Douglas has been getting additional work alongside starters Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe.
Douglas started most of last year. But after the acquisitions of Matthews, Sharpe and veteran Andre Johnson, Douglas came to camp needing to stand out to keep his roster spot.
“Harry comes to work every day like a pro,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “He hasn’t even blinked with anything we’ve done here with the draft, with signing of players. He’s the same Harry. He’s going to come out here and work and make it a tough decision on us when we have to make up the roster.”
Second-year man Tre McBride, a long shot to make the roster again this season, also is getting extra work as a backup in the slot to Douglas with Wright sidelined.
“I think whoever is going to be out there, I trust every single one of those guys and their ability to make plays,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “Whoever is out there, I’m going to do my best to go through the read and get them the ball.”
Wright has been moved almost exclusively to the slot receiver position this year. He struggled with injuries a year ago and had a career-low 36 catches.
Mularkey lamented the valuable practice reps Wright is missing and said that “it’s not a tear, but it’s obvious when you look at the MRI that he’s got a lot of fluid in that area, and he’s probably a couple of weeks from being able to go.”
“Nobody can afford to miss practices right now,” Mularkey said. “But you have to deal with it. We are, and he is. He’s been really good in the meeting room and been really good with the rehab.”
While Wright’s injury is discouraging, there have been some positive preseason developments involving Titans receivers. Mularkey complimented the performance of Sharpe, a rookie fifth-round draft pick from UMass who has settled in well.
“He hasn’t been intimidated whatsoever by anything,” Mularkey said. “Everybody’s talking about, “When the pads go on, can he beat press?’ It doesn’t shock me that he was capable of beating press. He’s done everything to earn that spot, first of all, and nothing to lose it.”
